Profile
The Zen Studies Society is a Buddhist community dedicated to realizing and actualizing our true nature. Cultivating an atmosphere of respect, harmony, deep insight, and boundless compassion, we offer simple yet profound teachings and practice of Zen Buddhism at our mountain monastery and our city temple.
Introducing Zen to the West
ZSS was established in 1956 to support the Buddhist scholar D.T. Suzuki in his efforts to introduce Zen to the West, and is one of the oldest Zen Buddhist organizations in the United States.
Abbot Shinge Roko Sherry Chayat Roshi began formal Zen practice in 1967. She was co-director of Dai Bosatsu Zendo from 1974 to 1976, and became the spiritual director of the Zen Center of Syracuse Hoen-ji, where she was appointed abbot in 1996. On January 1, 2011, she was installed as abbot of the Zen Studies Society by the founding abbot, Eido Tai Shimano Roshi. Eido Roshi trained under Soen Nakagawa Roshi at Ryutaku-ji, Japan, before moving to the United States in the 1960's, where he was joined first by Hakuun Yasutani Roshi and later by Soen Nakagawa Roshi as visiting Zen masters. He established New York Zendo in 1968 and Dai Bosatsu Zendo in 1976.
Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-ji sits above the highest lake in the Catskills, surrounded by 1,400 acres of forest and meadows.
Training Periods and Practice Opportunities
Residential training periods for lay and ordained students include daily zazen, chanting, sesshin (long retreats), koan work, dokusan (spiritual guidance), and teisho (Dharma teaching).
- Attending kessei, a traditional three-month training period held each spring and fall, offers an unparalleled opportunity to grow, be challenged, and deepen your practice. The rigorous schedule and remote, beautiful setting allow students to immerse themselves completely in their practice, which is a rare opportunity in our hectic, plugged-in, multitasking world.
- Sesshin is the essence of Zen practice. These week-long intensive silent Zen retreats are held at Dai Bosatsu Zendo six times per year.
- During the summer, our internship program offers students the opportunity to experience monastic life while helping to support programs featuring visiting teachers who lead yoga, reiki, shiatsu, and other movement and wellness workshops, recovery retreats, and more.
- The introduction to Zen weekend program offers a unique opportunity for those who wish to acquaint themselves with Rinzai Zen Buddhist practice in a monastic environment. Introductory workshops emphasize the basics: zazen (sitting posture and breathing), chanting, formal procedures for meals, and work practice.
